Phycosoma

Phycosoma
Phycosoma sp. from Australia
male P. oecobioides
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Theridiidae
Genus: Phycosoma
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879[1]
Type species
P. oecobioides
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1880
Species

32, see text

Synonyms[1]

Phycosoma is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1880.[3]

Distribution

Spiders in this genus are found worldwide.[1]

Description

See also: Glossary of spider terms

The genus Phycosoma comprises small spiders typically less than 4 mm in total length.[4] Males are recognized by their very high carapace, sometimes as high as it is long and cylindrical in shape with dorsal grooves and depressions when viewed from above. In females, the carapace is low and not modified. The eye region often projects above the clypeus, with the anterior median eyes sometimes larger than the other eyes. The clypeus is often concave, with very small chelicerae lacking teeth and bearing long, flat fangs.[4]

The abdomen is sometimes modified and sclerotized with a dorsal scutum or hump. Species bear numerous short setae originating from small tubercles, and most species lack a colulus. Leg IV is slightly longer than the others, with legs being medium to short overall.[4]

Life style

These spiders construct small webs near the ground where they feed on ants. They are also called gallows-spiders because they hang their prey until it dies.[4]

Taxonomy

Several Phycosoma species have been sampled from pitfall traps throughout South Africa but remain unnamed.[4]

Species

  • female P. martinae from Okinawa
    female P. martinae from Okinawa
  • male P. martinae from South Africa
    male P. martinae from South Africa

As of October 2025, this genus includes 32 species:[1]

  • Phycosoma aheneum (Dyal, 1935) – Pakistan
  • Phycosoma altum (Keyserling, 1886) – Mexico to Brazil. Introduced to Hawaii
  • Phycosoma amamiense (Yoshida, 1985) – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japan
  • Phycosoma corrugum Gao & Li, 2014 – China
  • Phycosoma crenatum Gao & Li, 2014 – China
  • Phycosoma diaoluo F. Zhang & B. S. Zhang, 2012 – China (Hainan)
  • Phycosoma digitula F. Zhang & B. S. Zhang, 2012 – China (Hainan)
  • Phycosoma excisum (Simon, 1889) – Madagascar
  • Phycosoma flavomarginatum (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) – China, Korea, Japan
  • Phycosoma hainanense (Zhu, 1998) – China (Hainan), Laos
  • Phycosoma hana (Zhu, 1998) – China
  • Phycosoma inornatum (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1861) – Europe, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran
  • Phycosoma jamesi (Roberts, 1979) – Jamaica, Panama
  • Phycosoma japonicum (Yoshida, 1985) – China, Korea, Japan
  • Phycosoma labiale (Zhu, 1998) – Russia (Far East), China
  • Phycosoma ligulaceum Gao & Li, 2014 – China
  • Phycosoma lineatipes (Bryant, 1933) – USA to Brazil, Galapagos
  • Phycosoma martinae (Roberts, 1983) – Kenya, Angola, South Africa, Seychelles, Madagascar, India, China, Korea, Japan (Ryukyu Is.), Philippines
  • Phycosoma menustya (Roberts, 1983) – Seychelles
  • Phycosoma molle (Simon, 1903) – Equatorial Guinea
  • Phycosoma mustelinum (Simon, 1889) – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia (Krakatau)
  • Phycosoma nigromaculatum (Yoshida, 1987) – China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan
  • Phycosoma oecobioides O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1880 – New Zealand (mainland, Chatham Is.) (type species)
  • Phycosoma ripa (Zhu, 1998) – China
  • Phycosoma sinicum (Zhu, 1992) – China, Vietnam
  • Phycosoma spundana (Roberts, 1978) – South Africa, Seychelles
  • Phycosoma stellare (Zhu, 1998) – China
  • Phycosoma stictum (Zhu, 1992) – China, Korea
  • Phycosoma stigmosum Yin, 2012 – China
  • Phycosoma submustelinum (Zhu, 1998) – China
  • Phycosoma turriceps (Schenkel, 1936) – China, Laos
  • Phycosoma yanshun Lin & Li, 2024 – Vietnam

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Gen. Phycosoma O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1880". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  2. ^ Fitzgerald, B. M.; Sirvid, P. J. (2003). "The genus Trigonobothrys in New Zealand and a redescription of Achaearanea blattea (Theridiidae: Araneae)". Tuhinga. 14: 28.
  3. ^ Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1880). "On some new and rare spiders from New Zealand, with characters of four new genera". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 47: 681–703. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1879.tb02701.x.
  4. ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 60. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515890. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Further reading

  • Zhu, M. S. (1998). Fauna Sinica: Arachnida: Araneae: Theridiidae. Science Press, Beijing. p. 436.
  • Song, D. X.; Zhu, M. S.; Chen, J. (1999). The spiders of China. Hebei Science and Technology Publishing House, Shijiazhuang. p. 640.
  • Yoshida, H. (2002). "A revision of the Japanese genera and species of the subfamily Hadrotarsinae (Araneae: Theridiidae)". Acta Arachnologica. 51: 7–18. doi:10.2476/asjaa.51.7.
  • Zhang, F.; Zhang, B. S. (2012). "Spiders of the genus Phycosoma O. P.-Cambridge, 1879 (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Hainan Island, China". Zootaxa. 3339: 30–43. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3339.1.2.
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